NAA Darkness and Light
by Kathryn Christine Starcrafter
Summary: Seven ancient Soul Keys, gems of power wanted by both good and evil alike. After so many years Gerald has acquired all seven, without telling Black Doom. Shadow must harness their power in order to defeat his father and regain his lost love. Shadria


-**DISCLAIMER**-

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

-**AUTHOR'S NOTES-**

This is part of the NAA version of the ARK series of events. Within that time line this happens about a month or two before the Takeover.

'Shadows' are the name of Black Doom's servants. That is actually what Shadow is named after.

'Professor Eevonno' and the 'Darwin:' 'Eevonno' was the one who helped Gerald in creating bio-androids (namely the Bio-lizard/hazard and Shadow.) The 'Darwin' is the name of the supercomputer used in said process and was invented by 'Eevonno' himself.

'Charles' is my name for the Commander of G.U.N. that premiered in the video game for the GameCube 'Shadow the Hedgehog.' As anyone knows who did complete the game he was on the ARK at the time and was friends with Maria -not so much Shadow.

Also on another side note for those who may be wondering. The game 'Sonic Battle' was never adapted for NAA and I have no plans to do so. Therefore Emerl (and Gmerl) do not exist in NAA. Which means that Gerald is still actively working on Project Ultimate Life Form (aka Project Shadow.)

In NAA the Chaos Emeralds were originally called Soul Keys or Soul Stones/Jewels/Beryls due to their history. This happened at the very beginning of the time line, before the Chaos and Tikal events. I will not explain further but it will be a large basis for the second-to-last series in NAA named 'Apocalypse.'

Gerald's speech at the end is a sort of 'catch-up' for those who never got to read the old fic dealing with Shadow's creation. I took it down for many reasons (mostly due to age and my inexperience at writing at the time.) As of yet I have no reason to update it so for the time being this is the official rendering.

I truly am ashamed to say how long this took me to write and edit. Honestly there were a couple of sections that were a vast mystery to me. I kinda just forced myself to write them and per usual the story somehow flowed. The ending itself was not planned and I'm astonished at how perfect it came out.

-**SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG-**

Darkness and Light

"I don't like it, something seems off," Shadow mused to a taller woman by his side.

"Perhaps," she responded while pulling back a few strands her blond hair. "But, if anything happens I'll be there with you."

The ebony hedgehog turned up to her. "That's what I find strange. The Professor never allows you to view the experimentations upon me."

Maria sighed, continuing forward without an actual response. He was right. Her grandfather had NEVER let her view any of the tests preformed on her friend.

Yes, Shadow the hedgehog was on his way to another horrible procedure involving pain -more or less. He had been called upon earlier that day as usual to give him ample time for any preparations if need be. The Professor had mentioned so off-handedly about bringing Maria along that the hedgehog had thought he was just mumbling to himself, which had become quite common for the aging man now-a-days.

Professor Gerald was very testy about the two being together in any way, shape, or form as of late. The greatest scientific mind of the age could hardly fathom such a concept with his own granddaughter. He, along with the vast majority of the Mobian populous, viewed interspecies unions as distasteful and ungodly. Aside from the fact he was hedgehog, he was also an Experiment. Born in a lab, he was meant to serve his creator and do as only that one man wilt.

But no, the Ultimate Life Form had been given too much will right from the start. With freedom and the option of choice the hedgehog had found another to slave by. Maria. Would he truly do nothing without her say? This was not entirely what Gerald Robotnik was going to confirm. Secretly, it was this assumption he was counting on should anything go awry. The procedure at hand was risky, and if even the slightest pinprick occurred the test could indeed prove bloody to many. To prevent this, as the Professor had loss all mastery over his creation, he had asked Shadow to bring along the single individual he believed who could.

The only thing that snapped the elderly man from his thoughts was the barely audible _whoosh_ of the lab's entrance giving way to someone's intrusion. Gerald turned to watch the two who he had requested the presence of. His granddaughter, a budding woman of twenty-one, and an anthropomorphic hedgehog of around the same age came to his side.

"Good, good, I'm glad you could make it." He hobbled across to them, his metal tipped cane clanking loudly through out the chamber with each step. Glancing down to smaller of the two he said, "Shadow, please follow me."

The ever brooding hedgehog only nodded before beginning to follow. He had no perception whatsoever as to what this test might be or what result in might provide. The only truth without being said was the additional end result of discomfort and hurt for a couple of hours -at the very least. The professor strolled farther into the cluttered domain of misted capsules and past a large glass mantle. Beyond the fogged sheet was what appeared to be a relatively dark but clean room where at even intervals the wall sported a sphere of lighted hue -blue, red, yellow, white, aqua, purple, and green. Gerald halted where the strange chamber seemed to be connected to the lab. In place of perhaps a hallway adjoining the two there was a door, heavy and bolted, sporting an astonishing number of seven digital locks set into an upraised center. He preceded to access the room by entering in a digital passcode into each of the individual locks. This took hardly a minute, and with a great hiss like that of some primordial serpent, the metal slab clanked to life and tentatively screeched open to reveal its contents.

Professor Gerald never even glanced downward to the one he acknowledged. "All I need you to do is stand on that platform in the middle of the room."

Shadow gave an almost halfhearted nod.

"You will be induced to a new kind of wavelength, Shadow." He continued. "It is my hope that this time you will be able to reach your full potential."

The black hedgehog glanced up to his creator with puzzled, crimson irises. If there was one thing Gerald never hid was the fact that his 'Ultimate Life Form' had yet to reach his expectations. Through all the test, prodding and probing, injections and medication, there had yet to be any result that pleased his 'Master.' At least Maria never thought any ill of him.

With little resistance Shadow entered the unusual room. His quills pricked, senses wild as if suddenly bombarded by something hosting all five at once -sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, perhaps even a sixth of which he could not decipher. There was almost a sensation of weightlessness -antigravity- even though it was obvious gravity was in fact activated in this room.

When Gerald finally shut to entrance the darkness seemed to gain mass, pressing down on the anthro like the hand of some titan of ancient myth. The only light that now existed within the space came from the seven spheres, each gripped by a miniature capsule of sorts. Dangling from the base of each there came a kind of pipe, or possible wire, twice as thick in diameter as his arm. The seven tendrils then converged towards the center of the room where a metallic platform raised about a foot from the floor. Shadow sighed, the odd power penetrating his very essence, and stepped forth onto the dais.

Maria waited by the mantle of glass, watching her friend with a sense of unease. From below the massive viewing window glittered and flashed a panel of buttons and knobs of which she couldn't even begin to guess their uses. All of a sudden she was jolted from any thoughts by a precession of footfalls pouring forth from all corners of the room. Their owners were made known soon after as a small section of the G.U.N. guards who patrolled the halls and kept the living experiments in check. Great fear tackled her chest, catching her breath unexpectedly. What was her grandfather expecting to happen? At least Charles wasn't among them.

Gerald arrived next to her soon after the guards took their places about the room, setting himself at the center of the inset.

Maria then made her fears known. "Grandpa, why did you call the Guardians here? What do you expect to happen?"

The Professor was silent as if thinking over the right words to piece together that would please his relative. But, all he could come up with was, "I don't really know." Which was in itself the sad truth. He inched forward a tentative finger and triggered one of the buttons beside a miniature speaker. "Alright Shadow, we will proceed now."

Maria watched as her grandfather's withered fingers began to dance about the stretch of metal below them. Her sapphire eyes then turned back to Shadow, who stood ever proud within his namesake, onyx fur offset now and then in hues of seven colors. The hedgehog waited patiently for whatever was to happen. Eventually the most exciting thing to do so in his confinement dealt with the spheres. It seemed as though they were not spheres at all, but rather glass-like sheathings each hosting a miniature pedestal. Atop every single one was what looked like a gem -gleaming in one of the seven lights from before. Again that same burst of senses overwhelmed him, this time he was unable to resist cringing in their ambiance.

Waiting. Seconds... Minutes... Ticking by, unheeded by those in its embrace. The hedgehog remained alert, even in this deafening silence. Waiting... Then, came a pulse. The gems had suddenly began to beat like crystalline hearts in synchronicity. However, unlike the soothing rhythm his ears were drawn to from his love's breast, these were as earsplitting as a deep bass drum.

The human girl continued to watch as the hedgehog held his head in pain. Fear gripped her, bewildered at the source of his discomfort. "What's happening to him?" she questioned her grandfather.

He did not answer. And even if he had she probably would not have noticed. Instead her attention was returned to the confinement cell where Shadow let out a muffled hiss.

Inside the chamber the hedgehog began to curl himself, spines sharpened, gripping his ears as though his skull were cracking, imploding into itself. The pulsations overwhelming, almost as though with each breath his lungs shrunk smaller and smaller, constricted like the prey of a hungry boa. Breath shorter and shorter, reality slipping. Muscles began to spasm uncontrollably as though thousands of scurrying roaches were frantically burrowing beneath his fur. Bolts of electricity shot into his veils and sent his heart into overdrive. Once ebony fur road over in cascades of silver-cream like ripples on a once still lake.

Shadow let out a roar as the pain became overwhelming, he had to let it go. Limbs flung wide, all of his four Suppressor Rings clattered to the steel flooring as he became eclipsed for a brief second in a burst of hue-less light. All those watching were forced to turn away from its overwhelming brilliance. The hedgehog's body began to rise as though levitating. By this point the Emeralds had gone dark and the experiment had fell silent. Now his very body pulsed with the powers once held within the jewels. Maria glanced back when she finally could to see within the chamber the image of her exhausted love, only with a slightly different paint. It was as though the jewels had purified the dark blood within his veins, returning him to the glory he had been 'birthed' with. His fur was no longer as his namesake, no longer striped with blood. Instead it shimmered as though each strand were a sliver of silver, striped a blue so deep it rivaled her very irises.

Shadow remained floating like a lifeless star, shimmering and distant. His eyes were open but fixed onto nothing, his chest heaved heavily as though breath could not be gained no mater how deeply he inhaled, sweat streaking from now flawless fur. Professor Gerald watched him there for a moment or two, stunned and bewildered. Had the experiment worked? Had one actually worked? He was once again the Ultimate Life Form.

However, there was another who had other plans. Secretly, one of his minions watched over the display. Withdrawn in fear from the power of the light, the Shadow silently crept within the repulsed darkness. It drew along and about the side of the control panel with one goal in mind, to douse that light. While all eyes were centered on the newly ascended hedgehog it shot from its hole and into the very wiring of the machine. Unbeknownst to all that fragment of a being began to fool with the contents of the device, hoping for some kind of adverse reaction. Unfortunately, it succeeded.

The Professor gained the strength to avert his eyes from his creation back to the control panel. Still in utter shock and euphoria, his gnarled hand returned to the buttons and knobs they had become almost adhered to these past few years. Although, before even a shaky finger could begin to stabilize it was forced back when a searing electrical bolt zipped though its thinning flesh. Gerald jumped back with a start, nursing a blackened palm.

For a moment Maria's attention was diverted to her elder relative. However, when her ears caught a muffled yelp from within the sealed chamber, her eyes followed swiftly after. Shadow's silvery fur had been dulled like charcoal. There was a flash from his body and the jewels all at once. In that instant the scene had been inverted. The hedgehog's limbs felt as though they were being tortuously torn from the joints, breath sucked from his very lungs. With a harsh clatter he fell to the frozen platform. Ever-still the gems grew brighter and brighter, and ever-still more and more darkness began to envelop his very soul. It was as though his heart was being strangled by melancholia and madness. His very sanity was slipping with every second, muscles writhing, chest burning. Eyes blinded by the glory of the gems. Everything seemed so distant, he was so distant. A voice he knew called out his name, so scared, so sad, and so very distant. Drifting, fading, then everything went black.

"Shadow!" Maria called once more to the figure eclipsed in the purifying light. So bright had the prisms become the young woman had to shield her eyes with a slender forelimb. She turned to her grandfather, face screwed in fear. "What happened?"

He did not answer, face as well shying from the brightness. Tense moments of silence passed. No note had been heard from the creature trapped within the chamber. For either out of fear or unspoken orders some of the men of G.U.N. lifted their weapons. Maria made another desperate attempt to communicate with Shadow. When all else failed, she turned to the Professor again.

"Open the door!" she demanded with much more force than her normally passive nature could muster.

"No!" Gerald snapped. "We don't know what could happened. The energy given off by the Emeralds could kills us all!"

"Shadow could be dead if we leave him in there!" She screamed.

"No, I'm sure he's fine."

But, these words meant little to the horror-struck girl. All she could think of was her friend's bleached body sprawled across the metallic-molded piping. She dashed towards the control panel, frantically typing in every Key-Code she knew in a matter of life or death. However, no matter how many times her fingers drew over the numbers every time she was denied.

Finally, she screamed back to her relative, "why won't it-"

Her plea was lost in an explosion of glass shards and mangled steel. Forced back, exposed flesh upon arms and legs were bit and bled. Though pain was diluted from her illness, still her reaction was to avoid further damage. She backed into the cluster of soldiers, they themselves caught off guard and now either toppled to the floor or fled from the room entirely. When she removed her blood-dewed arm from her eyes the light had died down drastically. Still the gems glittered amongst the fragments like stardust, themselves even had been relieved of their protective casings and scattered in the blast. But, where had the blast itself come from? What had caused it?

Her eyes finally shot up to scan the demolished contents of the experimentation chamber. Within the confines of her thoughts shot both hopes and worries as for the condition of the experiment himself. Was there a chance he could be alive and fine? Or could he be... dead? No, someone was standing there. But, it couldn't possibly be Shadow. She had been raised alongside him, grew with him. This hedgehog just standing there was not the one who owned her heart. This creature, with his fur devoid of all hue and stark-white eyes staring into nothingness, was not the one she loved.

To Maria's ears came the deep _clicks_ of guns being cocked and aimed. She glanced to her sides in witness to the remainder of the G.U.N. patrol readying itself for offense. However, a sharp movement from Gerald drew their attention.

"Wait!" the Professor commanded, his own sight locked within the exposed confines. "Shadow? Can you hear me?" Tentatively he drew close. "How do you feel? Are you alright?"

There came no answer from the experiment, not even a twitch to even acknowledge he had heard. His fur bristled over in flashes of neon-black lightning, causing his quills to stir without wind. Still those eyes with merely a pinprick pupil bore into nothing. Black masses pooled at his feet like a low hanging fog.

Gerald gained enough courage to approach his side, hand reaching forward. "Shadow?"

In a split second the anthro's expressionless face shot to his creator, in another the burly man swiftly withdrew his appendage as though a bolt of magmatic iron had been shot into his veins, tendrils of lightless ectoplasm gnawing up his arm. He hollered and hissed in pain, gripping his throbbing wrist that had suddenly become scorched yet again for no apparent reason. Without warning the faceless beast set his sight on the cluster of tense men. He lifted a paw, simply swiping the air in front of him. Every movement crackled his fur with electricity, the darkness he stood within shivered in anxious anticipation.

Every single object of steel held within the soldiers' hands buckled and screeched in torment. In both surprise and fear the guards relinquished their weapons. A few of them started to scream as sudden bolts of anguish twisted bone and sinew with no origin distinguishable. Some held their heads and toppled to the floor, blood running from their nostrils with foaming mouths. Maria yipped as one individual beside her gave a sudden crack like a skull shattered under a hammer's strike and fell down, dead.

Immediately her concerns fell to the hedgehog of which she no longer recognized. She called out his name, running forwards and away from the panic-stricken guards. But as she rushed him a sudden updraft of the blackened mist pushed her back as he hollered in the eye of the typhoon. Maria was lifted from her feet and cast away and into the far wall with a hollow _bung_. Air left her lungs for a second as her spine rippled in diluted pain. Her eyes fluttered, even with vision blurred she could still see him, writhing in pain once more as though battling his own wits. Out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn at his feet those shadows returned in-mass. But as fast as a single blink they vanished, absorbed through fur and skin. Shadow hollered again.

Even with severely shattered muscles and unsteady bones Maria forced herself to a stand, slowly dredging through airborne razorblades. She heard her grandfather call her name and she turned to him for a split second. But in that single moment the hedgehog's face snapped to him, still roaring at the top of his lungs. This time Gerald was flung back with a charged current of air, crying out. The young woman paused to watch the scene, not believing any of this. Tears streamed down her face upon forcing back to the wind. All around her steel buckled and twisted, shrapnel lifted and flung in all directions. And at the center of all this torment, bent over in pain and misery, was Shadow. Still he remained calling out incomprehensible thing, this time with paws at the sides of his skull and ears pulled back.

She could feel his torture, he wasn't himself. Those Emeralds had done something to him. Just as they had blessed him they had cast him from their glory. Even though the air was so sharp it made her bleed ever-still she marched forward till finally she was at his front.

"Shadow..." Maria whispered his name as she fell forward. Even on the verge of passing out from lack of air she embraced him. "Shadow, please stop."

He struggled in her grasp like a frantic badger, cornered and fighting for its life. This only made her grip fiercer, open gashes pricked by his needle-sharp fur. His screams deafened, ever so she clung to him. Even when his quivering claws punctured her arms she held him. Even as his face flung forward, fangs skewered into the tender flesh of her neck, she held him. His voice stopped.

Hot, liquid salt slipped onto his tongue. _Blood? Whose blood?_

"Shadow, please..."

_Maria? No..._

Then gradually, ever so gradually, the wind died. The frigid pain stopped as a sudden flow of warmth and love replaced it. The darkness, it retreated. The power faded, melting to pool about his feet and slither back from whence it came.

Shadow collapsed to the floor with his battered love. His grip softened as blood began circulating again, bringing with it sanity. Immediately he retreated, forcing himself away from her in shame. Blurry eyes grew wide, he glanced to his bloodstained paws, then to her, moist lips parted. What he viewed brought horror to his eyes. She crouched on her knees before him with streams of red obscuring almost every portion of her beautiful body. White t-shirt and jeans completely soiled with grime. His gaze forced itself away, instead witnessing the chaos of which he himself had brought. His creator lay on the floor off to the side, even through thickly tinted glasses came a look of fear and revulsion curling that ancient, silver-mustached face. It was also then that he noticed the G.U.N. guards piled on top of one another like a freshly hauled in fishnet. Everywhere was drenched in muddled scarlet.

The hedgehog froze where he stood. Had he done all this? His eyes returned to the only one who mattered in his life. The only person who allowed him to face the world as long as she was by his side. And there she was, blood-caked and exhausted. And the only one to punish for this deplorable stature was himself.

Maria reached for him and he backed away from her, eyes still wide and distant. She was able to pull herself to a stand, still inching towards him with concern. Still he forced himself away from her, ashamed and crestfallen.

"Maria, I am so sorry." His words were barely audible.

Still she came towards him, whispering his name with tears burning her flushed cheeks. He had gone back as far as he could, crouched in the corner of the room that had been his undoing. Emotions flooded him. Sadness. Fear. Hate. He was a monster! He was supposedly created to be death to all living things and it had turned out to be true. He had harmed the only thing that meant anything to his shameful existence. Everything they said about him was true, everything they feared had come to pass. He was a murderer. He was no better than his elder brother, imprisoned in the bowels of the ARK.

The hedgehog clutched himself with tears rolling down his cheeks, dropping to the floor beside one of the jewels. It lit his side in the hue of sunbathed grass and seemed to even give off a small trickle of comfort. He just wanted to be away from here. Somewhere far away from here. Anywhere but here. And just like that he was gone.

Maria's sapphire irises bulged from his sudden disappearance. She called out his name, trotting up to where he had once been seated. She felt the air as though thinking perhaps he had just become invisible or something. But no, he wasn't there. And neither was the Emerald he had backed into moments before. She stood with a look of sadness and regret. She had never seen him so distraught. Even so, he had a good reason to be. His greatest fear had been made apparent. He was an Experiment, designed for either conservation or destruction, made to do what others willed him. Now he had done something he could never take back, and she knew it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Maria." She turned to the voice she knew to be her grandfather's.

He stood behind her with a box of medical supplies. In one hand he held a roll of tissue and in the other-bandaged-one a tube of antibiotics. Also in that view she could see the soldiers of G.U.N. They were all alright, every single one. Even the one who had made that hideous crunching sound. Now he was standing, just teetering back and forth and rubbing his head as though from a migraine. Sure they were perhaps a bit beat up, but none worse for wear.

Gerald had begun bandaging her, starting first with her neck and shoulder when she had begun to pull away. He gripped her wrists fiercely.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I have to find Shadow." She had to tell him that everything was okay.

"You are not going anywhere except to the clinic, young lady. I'm sure he's fine. He'll come back soon."

Maria gave a glance to her grandfather. Did he really know nothing about his own creation? "No, you don't know him like I do," she said meekly. "He's afraid he just did something he can never take back. He thinks he just slaughtered a bunch of people!"

Gerald started tending to her arm with stern eyes turned to her, slathering the puncture wounds with stinging salve. "I do know him. Remember, I Made him. He is fine. He'll shake off this incident like he always does and be back in a bit. You don't have to worry so much about him, you know."

A sudden rush of emotions flooded her. How could he be this ignorant? The only reason Shadow ever tolerated any of these dead-end trials was because of her. Her reassurance, her stability, a shoulder to lean on, to cry on. No, he did know. The truth of the matter was his dislike of it.

Any argument further would reach no definite conclusion. Instead, action needed to be taken. Before the aging man could finish her bandages she retracted from his grip. Pulling away, Maria made a rush for the door.

"Wait! Maria! Stop her!"

His command fell on deaf ears. The woman vaulted over the cluster of bemused men still licking their wounds. Even though she knew not wholly where Shadow was a strange pecking at the back of her mind gave her one obscure incentive to head downwards. He wanted to get as far away from here as possible. To a place fit for a murderous Experiment like himself. Down, into the bowels of the ARK.

He had no clue how it happened but for a brief second the hedgehog was rushed with a sense of aimless flight. Breath taken, senses muted in an air of colorless ambiance. Just as sudden as it had come the essence burst and was replaced by the frozen blackness of the farthest reaches of the Space Colony. Sector Z-019, the Encapsulation Chambers. This was where all of the scientist's biological entities who did not meet expectations were either euthanized or locked away.

Though he was only as far as one of the outer hallways still the air lay heavy with disease and godless malice. Since this entire wing was hardly ever in any use the area was only lit with a single row of melancholy florescence fluttering down veils of sickening pale-orange light for anyone to follow dare they transverse further. And it was within this passionless embrace where Shadow sat, cold and alone.

Or so he believed.

Heartbroken, the hedgehog curled into himself. He thought of nothing, as if the effort was too great for such an insignificant thing like himself to bear. And so he was distant, even to himself. For he was no longer the same hedgehog he was little less than an hour ago. He had no right to be in this world, no right to deal life and death. But so it had been. He was no better than the berserk and mindless beasts that had been brought here never to return. He belonged here with them, the ghosts of the ARK, lost and forgotten.

However, this was not so. For a voice pierced the darkness like the tongue of a serpent. Sinister, sucking any purity that remained as he hissed the words: "You have done well, my son."

Shadow's scarlet irises bolted open, all depressive thoughts snuffed as he snapped instantly to a defensive stance. Now in there place came that same sense of anxiety this being always brought with his unpredictable visits. The hedgehog didn't know why this creature made him so desperate, so tense and fearful.

With upright quills sharpened as if poised for attack he snapped through clenched fangs, "I am not your son."

The thing that hovered mere feet from him could not be described similarly to any known thing. He was alien, though perhaps humanoid. With taunt skin the shade of dead violets and cut in strips of rose, he bore into his procreation with sickeningly-bloody eyes of three. Crowned in horn-like protrusions, the rest of his ghastly figure remained draped in a mantle of royal status and metallic trinkets. The dangling fabric seemed to flow down past where legs should be, instead in their space remained nothing but wrathing shadows. A single gnarled appendage was extended outward. Clutched in his claws the figure presented one of the seven gems.

Black Doom gave a gargled laugh deep from the pit of his soulless being. "You have still to learn your place I see. So much to learn. Even so, you have finally taken your first steps in my favor. You have tapped into the forbidden power and have passed magnificently."

"You! You caused this to happen?"

"Indirectly. Though, what matter is it? The energy of the Soul Keys can go either way. From light into shadow. The glory of the blessed is not in your favor, as you must already know. Even still you attempt to place yourself among angels. It saddens me, Shadow. You have fallen so far, clawing your way back to the surface. I am sad to say that now you have finally passed far beyond redemption."

The ebony hedgehog remained silent, the twisted tongue of his blood-parent wriggling into his ears and draining every thought of repentance.

"The fault is not yours. No, it lies with those who force you under there hypocritical will. They bend you, they break you. For their gain and theirs alone. And you suffer. You suffer and they reap the benefits."

"Shut up!" Shadow snapped, covering his ears as if attempting to starve off those hungry whispers.

Unperturbed, the omnipotent being persisted. "You know this truth. Yet you allow them to fondle you, to strip you of the greatness you so rightfully deserve. Yet these same individuals have given you the chance to at last gain vengeance. And now with this," Black Doom outstretched the arm that held the stone shining in its own luminescence, "it is time to decide where your loyalties lie."

For a moment Shadow thought over his meaning. This jewel that had been his bane, could it also be his salvation? He knew nothing of these seven 'Soul Keys' so he assumed them to be. All he understood was the power they expelled. A power that could both save lives and take them away.

All of a sudden a voice like a distant song bird punctured the darkness. "Shadow! Shadow, please answer me!"

His ears perked, eyes shot wide. Panic sent his heart into overdrive. "No," he whispered, then swerved to face behind and called at the top of his lungs, "Maria!"

However, the sudden strain seemed to drain all sense from him. Dizziness overcame him as his scull pulsed for a moment in pain. He lifted a paw to his forehead and that was when he realized a sudden absence and why his emotions had been so aimless. His Rings! How? Where did he lose them? Shit, this wasn't good!

"Shadow? Where are you?" Her voice was closer now. He could hear her delicate footfalls approaching.

He called out desperately, "no, Maria, please! Don't came any closer!"

A deep-throated grumbling diverted his attention. He turned back to the creature whose silver tongue had almost caused him to forsake everything. "I see you have already chosen."

Shadow snarled, "don't you hurt her!"

He made a sound like an amused chuckle. "I'm afraid that you have already done yourself."

The hedgehog's face dropped in remembrance of the ill he had inflicted on his only friend and true love. He could never forgive himself for hurting her, but all the same he would never let this thing lay a grubby claw on her! Fueled by that thought he bolted into the distance from whence her voice had last sounded. Seconds later she appeared like Haven's light shining down through Hell's wake. So close, but yet so far. A sudden rush of splintering pain shot up his legs to his heart. He collapsed to the floor, paw clutched to his chest.

She reached for him, but any words after were suddenly snuffed with a high-pitched yip. Shadow looked up and the sight before him horrified. That thing had hold of her by the wrist, lifting her into the air with him. She fought frantically for her life, beating against her assailant with all her diminished might.

"Let her go!"

Again that pain rushed his arms and legs, snaring and clawing at his heart till breath became ragged and throat burnt. Even still he rose to his feet, towering proudly and feigning welfare.

"I said let her go!"

He cringed again, collapsing to his knees as his ribcage slowly imploded upon itself.

Maria watched in confusion. What was this thing that had a hold of her? And how was it hurting Shadow without even a touch? But soon that thought vanished. In fact, all thoughts vanished. She had suddenly drawn a blank, as if an eraser had been swiped across the board that had been her memory. She was drifting away, drifting through nothingness.

Shadow yelled, bolting towards his demonic ancestor. She had vanished, he had taken her and placed her somewhere he could not follow. But Doom remained, towering over the hedgehog as he barely grabbed hold of the girl. Instead he slid to a halt straight past the beast, arms grasping only air. However, in his paw was placed the stone of power.

"Give her back now!"

"I will, Shadow. I will. Before hand, certain conditions must be met." Doom hissed. "If you wish for this mortal flesh to be returned to you then give me the things I have spent these long years striving to attain. You, at my side, and the Soul Keys. Grant me this wish and she will return to this realm, safe."

"I can't trust you."

"You must. It is the only way."

Shadow took a moment to his thoughts. Maria meant everything to him. Then this creature of malice and conquest who cared for little but himself unlawfully spirited her away to use as incentive in tempting the hedgehog into subordination. But he was right, Shadow had no choice. It was the only way.

So he answered proudly, "I will never be bound to you. You know that don't you?" Silence. "But I'll get you these stupid rocks you want so badly."

And if he could Black Doom smiled. "Fair enough." And his visage softly drifted from sight, blending with the shadows. "I await your successful return. You know how to find me."

Shadow shivered, not of fear nor of cold, but of anger and utter impuissance. He could feel the drifting essence of the humanoid sink just beyond his senses. Lingering like regret in the back of his mind. Somehow he had to refocus his thoughts. He glanced his ruby irises down to the first of the seven. How could such a minuscule thing have caused so much suffering? He dreaded returning to the scene of his loss of sanity. But he must. For the loss of his love overcame all fear and sorrow. He would face the very uprising of Lucifer for a chance to receive her in his arms again.

Somehow with this jewel beside him Shadow had been dropped from one of the research labs into the once matrix of the ARK's inner workings. Obviously this thing sill had gifts to give. He wondered if there was a chance of reactivating whatever had teleported him so far down. With eyes pulled tight he began to concentrate. No more fear. No more sorrow. Because, if everything went as planned, things would eventually be put to right.

First and foremost he had to find his Rings.

And with those comforting words once again the hedgehog was overcome by weightlessness, every sense drew into itself till there was silence and all color was nothing but white. And for once in a long while he was calmed. Nothing was back to normal, but there was calm. However all that was snuffed like a frail candle flame buffered in a hurricane. The ragged and depressed glow of the experimental chamber instantly dropped all hope as if coated in lead. All around him there was nothing but the hues of blood drenched walls, tortuous mechanical instruments, and lights caught in a deep depression. All about his feet lay remains of glass and metal so that every step snapped and crackled as he picked across the aftermath in search for his Rings. But to no avail. In the chamber itself, nor in that which remained of the war-zone could not one be found.

The hedgehog took a second to lean against the panel of which the buttons had been blown. Again he drew a paw to his forehead and took a moment to release the agitation that had once again overcame his senses. He just had to remain cool and collected, his energy was equally connected to his emotions. If he let them run wild then he would for sure loose everything else along with. If they were not here, then where could they have been taken to? As well, there were no signs of the remaining six jewels. Perhaps they and his Rings had been brought to the same place.

He turned down to the pulsing green stone still feverishly being clutched. He wondered if maybe these objects could sense one-another, like electromagnetism. He had heard of other things -such as magnets- being able to do so. Once again Shadow drew into himself and concentrated, only this time allowing the energy of the jewel to take the reigns. For a brief second there was white deprived of oxygen. In the next the Bio-Android was graced by the startled expression of the single individual who he both respected and loathed at the moment.

Gerald drew in a hoarse breath as he uplifted from his swivelchair at the sudden manifestation of his greatest, yet perhaps most disobedient, creation. The aging scientist groped his heart with his bandaged hand due to the sudden jolt of adrenalin shot into it by said hedgehog's unannounced appearance.

"Shadow, you scared the daylights out of me!" After a few quick breaths, which allowed the one being spoken to regain his own composure, Gerald continued. "How did you-Where is Maria? I told her you'd be alright but she went off on her own anyway. I'd say this independence is good but it's making me grow older faster than I would like." The last part was more mused to himself. At this time was when he had finally glimpsed the green glow emanating from the hedgehog's paw. "Ah, so you have the missing one. I guess that's good. And I'm assuming that explains your sudden appearance just now. You were able to actually channel its power. Astounding! Perhaps the experiment wasn't a failure after all."

"Where are my Rings?" was the only response that came from Shadow's quivering lips.

"Rings?" The pause was brief but allowed the experiment to realize just how disconnected he and his creator had become. "Oh, your Power Suppressors!" Yes their true name had been given as 'Power Suppressors,' as that was their function. It had been Maria who called them Rings because, among other things, that name sounded far less ominous. More than anyone the Professor knew the endless extent of power the Ultimate Life Form had been gifted. "Yes, of course."

And at that moment was when he fully regained his own composure, being startled awake it seemed, and wobbled off into the back of the study. Shadow had at often times been back here for reasons not known to anyone but himself and Maria. The Professor's study was not his alone but was for the benefit of knowledge any individual wished to gain by entering inside. For its vast contents were not owned by a single individual. It was more fit to be called a library of sorts. In mass were books upon books of both published and unpublished literature done by those confined to the Space Colony and that which had been brought with them to share with their similarly stranded neighbors. There were books on science, on art, and magic. Any concept imaginable had been collected here in the forms of both paper and in digital. As such the vast space of the one room contained a labyrinth of bookshelves along with a central terminal pillar set with a line of computers around its girth. There were a few desks and chairs sporadically scattered about and it had been directly to one where Gerald had wandered off to.

He yanked open a seemingly jarred drawer which inside contained said possessions. The scientist then hobbled back and presented the four golden cuffs. "Now then, first off I'd like you to go and find Maria, to tell her you're okay."

Shadow responded gruffly while bracing his wrists and ankles, "I can't do that until I have the remaining six."

"The other six? You mean the Emeralds? What do they have to do with this?"

"I don't have time to explain." Nor did he want to. "Just trust me."

Gerald rose to a stand where once he had been hunch. It was as though those words frightened him. He had never before been asked to give trust to his creation. It seemed a foreign word spoken with the hedgehog's tongue. But because of which its effect had been opposite.

"Why are you so desperate for them, Shadow?"

"If you won't help me then I'll find them myself."

"Does this have something to do with Black Doom?"

And for the first time Shadow truly realized that the monster that was his blood parent and the creator of his flesh were indeed on speaking terms. As well that the aging scientist was able to make a connection between it and the Gems of Power, as they were.

"Why? Should it have something to do with him?"

Gerald was at a loss for words. He chewed on his lower lip, trying to concoct a valid explanation. However, none came to mind. "I know much more that you believe on this matter. And I forbid you to take the Gems to him. If that is why you need them."

"What if it was for the person you cared for most in the world?"

The silence that ensued was eerie and heavy with ill. "What do you mean?"

Only one word came next, "Maria."

"Shadow, what happened to her?" Gerald seethed.

"Doom has her. And the only way he'll bring her back is if I use the Gems as a ransom."

Gerald fell back into his chair, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Words were at a loss, instead tears ran across the bridges of his sagging cheeks. Wrinkled hands reached up to his face as if to suppress this exuberant and unusual show of care. Wispy and mucus caked whimperings began to sound from behind those fleshy barricades and for once in a long while the hedgehog almost felt pity for the old man.

However all that changed as those grizzled hands dropped across his knees with the whisper, "I can not give you the Emeralds."

"What?"

"I will not give you the Emeralds. In order for thousands of lives to be spared, one must regrettably be sacrificed." He spoke in a eerie calmness that made Shadow's fur prickle sharply.

"Have you gone insane?" Shadow snarled. "Didn't you hear me? He has Maria."

"I heard you!" Gerald snapped, turning on his creation. "Don't you dare talk to your Master with such a tone. I know this is Maria but there is nothing I can do. He must not get a hold of the Emeralds. No matter the cost."

"You have gone insane. You might be so eager to discard your flesh and blood but on my life she will not be sacrificed to him. I will save her, or die, with or without your assistance."

With that said the ebony hedgehog withdrew the green Beryl.

"Shadow, whatever you're planning to do I command you to cease. If he gains all seven he will use their power to help overtake every living being in existence. Every single innocent life, not just on Mobius, will be sent into supreme peril. Could you live with yourself? What would Maria think? What would her choice be? Shadow, are you even listening to me?"

Oh, he was. But it didn't matter. The Professor's words were meaningless. The old man had condemned his granddaughter to death. Instead the hedgehog had began concentrating on other things rather than a fruitless rebuttal. Focusing his power, for once his Rings had come back into his possession the fog in his head seemed to have cleared. The other Emeralds, he could sense them. Their energies like dancing feathers playing against his skin. They were here, in this room. They were close. By this point the energy generated by the one clutched in his right paw had circulated up his arm and through his spirit. His very heart beat with the blood of pure Elemental Chaos. It was an obscure feeling, but one of which he felt akin to. This power was not as foreign as it had at first been conceived. As such, he could contrive the exact location of the other six -seeing as though there were so near at hand.

In the desk!

Shadow gave a lithe flex, bending and releasing like a well oiled spring. The jets soldered into his shoes burned into life, propelling him straight past his creator. "Forgive me, Professor, but I must save Maria."

"Shadow!" Within mere seconds Gerald found himself robbed of what he had once shrived so hard to procure.

The hedgehog, swift as he was created, had smashed into a hidden pocket beneath the drawer where once his Rings had been. From the shattered remains burst forth six diamonds of varying colors glittering temptingly in the diminished lighting. Shadow swiped them up in a single fluid movement, feeling their will splice with his own. All this power. What made it so? What could possibly be generating it? He did not wait a moment longer to hear his creator spout a bought of argument that he knew would be counterproductive. Shadow had learned the language of these gems quite well in such a short time. With merely a thought he was whisked away, shot through the nothingness of hyperspace and into the dark, begrudging atmosphere of the Prison System.

Like the pulsations of the Soul Keys the negative energies emitted from the elder of his blood, though faint, were indeed there. Distant, menacing, yet inviting, tempting. Perhaps it was only because she was there, pining for him. Even so, there was another deep, underlying cause he could not pinpoint. Shadow vaulted into the darkness like a mad-hog, all the while his mind in a swirling panic over what had been and what could be. Doom held power over the anthro, that was certain. But how deeply did his control lie? He wanted his 'Son' by his side. Could it be possible that the alien humanoid's influential prowess would be fully unbound. Shadow had already made certain he would never be made a slave to the creature. No, as long as Maria still lived he could never be swayed by darkness. This had already been proven under the most undesirable of circumstances.

As these thoughts ran through his head so did he deepen down into the oppressive confinements structured as distant as possible from the normality of the living. No light, no life. It was almost as if this area were abandoned. While, in fact, it was still used. Any unwanted, unproductive, unachieved Experiment clustered here like an ever breeding virus. And this was where, after so many years past, his brother still dwelled with malice in his hazardous heart. By this point there was no doubt. The trail of aura was leading him there.

KGG-72366

That was the sequence engraved onto the prodigious, heavily bolted entranceway sealing off the final specially made cell along Sector Z-021. From within was laid out first a laboratory used to both maintain and restrain its occupant. From there Shadow knew the gateway penetrated yet further into unforgiving depths, a sizzling lake of corrosive acid and air supercharged to the point of suffocation. For any not accustomed to such extremes the fearless and unprepared were met with death.

Like all private locals set into the doorway's side lay a keypad where a specific code could be inputted, thus allowing access to whatever contents lay within. Those codes saved inside the chips hosted by the databanks of the Prison System were, without needing to be said, far more cryptic that those generated by the occupants of one's own personal conduit. Instead the passcodes for these locks, whose soul purpose was to be unhackable and impenetrable, were randomly generated and repetitively generated every twenty-four hours or so. So in short, if one wanted to visit one of the occupants one had to first relinquish the code for that day's round.

So you can imagine the hedgehog's fear -though short lived- when the mechanical bearings holding the armored cell in place suddenly hissed to life of their own force. Cogs and bolts and springs and bars groaned in protest till finally giving way to some unbidden calling. The door itself, as thick as the anthro and five times his height, was widened strenuously, pulling itself outward only enough to allow said spectator access inside.

Shadow cussed through clenched fangs. Doom was just waiting there, taunting him, inviting him. He knew his son could not resist. He took one final glance to the insignia engraved against the monolith's prostrate frame before it vanished from sight. Biohazard.

The ebony quilled hedgehog strode inside cautiously, taking every free moment in deep thought. Calculating, running scenario after scenario. There was reason behind the madness, there always had been. The question was whether Shadow could see on through and keep a level head or if the darkness was in-turn more powerful and opted for control. Which, truth-be-told, had occurred on more than one occasion. If he could just keep a level head and take things through, step-by-step, everything would be fine. Doom would not gain possession of the Soul Keys, Nor would he of Maria. That was the catalyst.

His jet shoes echoed eerily in the stillness of the darkened laboratory. Insidious orange lighting burst into flame high above, revealing a blindingly white room devoid of little but a control module along the left wall and another doorway straight ahead. Above the line of equipment had been bolted panes of reinforced crystal to allow observance of the hell boiling over far below. That was where he lay, a clustered mass of negative aura waiting to pounce like a panther onto unsuspecting prey. From behind the entranced sealed of its own accord, even if retreat had been an option there was nothing worth enough to give up on this mission. Doom had taken everything, and his son was taking everything back.

The stairwell ahead was unsealed, but only of a precautionary measure. Only under situations of extreme duress, brought on by the imprisoned subject, did the full extent of the enclosed fortress let up its shields. The Project needed to be contained and sedated, not killed. Even after its long since run with glory there was still thought to be use for it yet. And that was one of the few thing that gave Shadow fear. If an experiment was considered no longer viable it was euthanized. That was the way of things. That had always been the way of things here.

Cautiously Shadow drew forward descending the twisted orifice and into the simmering swamp below. The stairwell was choked with the sulfurous runoff turned steam. As said it was hardly a matter of soul survival but rather one's bodily resilience. Without a protective suit another human would be hard pressed to withstand the stuff. Shadow was beyond the norm, let alone not human. The tunnel with its row of tiny wall lights ended in front of a cobble road levitating only a foot or so above the vaporous lake. Itself stretched forwards across a space the size of a gridiron in both width and height. The vast majority of the chamber was indeed the boiling lake in the hue of liquid fire. The pathway itself was shaped in the symbol of Mercury, the stretch of stone from which he stood was merely like, say, the shaft on a pendulum. Near the center of the sea did the line split into two and reconnect in a circle before again straightening but never again connecting. Instead they hooked onto a floating island on the far side of the sempiternal chamber.

It was from this clockwork shrine that a voice undulated forward like searing wisps of caustic smoke. "Come... Shadow. Come to me. To the Shrine."

"No." The hedgehog snarled.

The silence that followed after was deafening, prolonged. That urging had come from none other than his tormentor. Still in the back of his mind the paranoia continued in question as to the whereabouts of the Experiment that truly dominated this space. Sleeping? Or waiting? That would have to stay till later.

"Come... Come to the Shrine." The hiss tempted.

"No!" Shadow yelled, ever more persistent. "Not until I have Maria back!"

"That was never the deal."

"It is now!" All seven jewels manifested by his will from beneath his fur, propelled first through the air before gathering above his outstretched arms in a spiraling, hypnotic dance of light. "I admit I don't know just how badly you want these things. But I don't care for them in the least. So if something happens to them it's your loss not mine. Return what you've taken from me first and you can have these stupid stones!"

A deep haunting cackle reverberated from the darkness above. "As you wish, my son."

Shadow bore above and into the inky blackness akin to his fur. It seemed as though the only light within this entire expanse was generated from the illuminant acid collected in the pool. No mater how far his vision stretched there was only infinite substance devoid of hue. But while his vision had been so concentrative on that mass the gems were no longer under his possession. He felt their combine energies lift from his body as if pulled by some frigid wind. He watched them soar up and into the void, their comfort and warmth torn from him. They ran up and pierced the darkness like the halo of some angelic being. While the utter shock of having their bargain taken as little more than smart-mouthing lasted only as long as seconds, the horror that split the circumference of their ascent sent his heart to burn.

"Maria!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Falling down through the darkness was his beloved, fated for death. Her lifeless body toppled like a rag-doll thrown by a thoughtless child. Without thought of consequence Shadow bolted forward across the platform in order to gain enough ground to leapt into the air, shoes blazing like twin rockets. During those precious moments all thought as to where the Emeralds had flown themselves off to mattered not. Only if he could gain enough air to reach his Maria before she plummeted into oblivion, to sleep for eternally amidst the pit of boiling fire.

Weightlessness, his arms gripped around her petite waist near fifteen feet from death. Air suddenly became clogged with poisonous vapors. Across the expanse of the ocean condensed and formed small spheres of concentrated toxins. Just as he, with Maria in tow, descended onto the other half of the ring those caustic bullets gained life enough and sense enough to begin assaulting the two that had trespassed upon their hidden overlord's terrain. Even as Shadow barely landed on the ledge he still had to frantically bolt from side to side as those animated missiles continued to spawn and respawn ceaselessly. He had to maintain at least enough composure to round back down to the other side of the walkway and make it to the stairwell and into the control room. From there he could ensure her safety, as the emergency lock-down would initiate. He could take her there and leave her well enough while he fought off his extended family who apparently all wanted him dead.

However, that plan came to a screeching halt when said process generated itself prematurely. Shadow nearly slammed his nose against the door as it snapped to the floor, cropping off the only escape route at the knees. He skid to a halt, the caustic rain had long since ceased but still the pressure bore down with malice. Maria remained unconscious through the whole ordeal and that was what truly worried him. If she wasn't able to breath pure air soon -even if he himself wasn't able to- the consequence would be dire.

For a moment the very air reverberated as if they existed within the gullet of a leviathan hungry for flesh. Shadow snapped a glance behind, his quills edged and sharp. From the churning primordial soup rose a prodigious forelimb akin to ancient anapsids. When it crushed onto the edge of the inner circle the very cobblestone shook. Rising from the surf arched a tubular object the girth of a steamroller's frontal barrel. A reptilian muzzle rose from the turmoil, jutting from each side of its hideous, flattened lips protruded rubbery piping curving backwards onto another portion of its body that still remained submerged. Black, soulless eyes bore into the two trespassers like the gaze of a stalking predator. A blanched and blistered hide the same coloration as its boiling pot shimmered in the heat as yet another frontal limb surfaced to gain still more ground.

This was the one that came before Shadow, his elder brother, Project Biohazard. He was to be the ultimate weapon of destruction. However for those who knew him before the incident he was simply 'Archy.' Long before Gerald had gained possession of the Darwin there was only Archy, there had only ever been Archy. He was the Professor's very first Experimentation in genetic splicing and controversial hormonal transfusion. And then, when the government of South Island began becoming impatient, Archy had to be pushed aside. He was of no use to his father. Why focus on a creature that could not produce the wanted results? Not when there was so little time. So little time... Devastated at the sudden lack of attention, Archy flew into a rampage. Several gave their life attempting his sedation. At the time he had not even grown to such a size. His endocrine glands had become so overstressed that there was little help left for him. Till his own death he would continue to grow. If there was one kindness Gerald had done for him it had been when finally his capture was successful. The Professor implanted a life support system into the small of the Hazard's back. It was so that no matter what Archy would grow to what ever age he willed, perhaps even into immortality. Perhaps still, that was the Professor's plan all along.

'Shit-Shit-Shit-Shit-Shit!' Shadow cussed. It wasn't so much fear over Archy that shot his anxiety. He could take on the corrupted beast easily. Not like the two had ever fought before but the Ultimate Life Form's concept had originally been based on the Hazard's design. Aside from that, research into the forgotten monstrosity could be easily come by aboard the ARK. The hedgehog knew everything there was to possibly know about his predecessor. It was for Maria he feared. As long as she remained in his arm and disabled he suffered a handicap. One he could not currently afford. And with any possible escape shut off from him there seemed to be little hope.

As that slithering tendril of a neck inched forward Shadow remained still. Taking a deep breath he said, "Archy."

And for a second the apocalyptic beast halted in thought. However he immediately started up the advance again, breathing toxins and seething with malice.

"Archy!"

Again the malformed creation stopped his advance, a look of bemused confusing softening his features. What a strange look, almost comical. Apparently this thing wasn't as entirely hostile as everyone had been led to believe. Hopefully he could even still understand.

"I don't want to hurt you, Archy! I have no reason to. I just have to leave here. If I don't me and this girl are going to die. We can't stay down here, Archy. Do you understand?"

But, the hedgehog was cut short in his attempt as a sudden spur clawed up his spine. His chest began to cave that was not reminiscent of the acidic air. His legs buckled beneath him as if he could no longer hold the young woman's weight.

A voice in the darkness cooed, "Shadow..."

Despite the pressure and anguish crippling his bones the individual being beckoned hissed, "no!"

"Fool, you can not escape your existence. Your reason for being. Like the Biohazard, your brother, you are meant to kill. You are meant to savor the blood of your victims and gorge upon their reverence." In that moment a blackened mass of shadows coagulated beside the lizard's head, manifesting in the omnipotent being's form.

"No! You've gotten the Soul Keys. Now leave us alone!" Though his body was practically disintegrating into nothingness Shadow still held his ground.

"Do you so easily forget, my son? Our contract is not yet fulfilled."

"I will never become your vassal. Never, should I die right here on the spot."

There came a gentle moan and he felt the lifeless object in his arms stir. He glanced down upon the fallen angel and noticed her face shrewed up in discomfort. Shadow was getting desperate.

Black Doom noticed this. "Then if not for you than for her. It is your very reason for being, none the less. For one to live thousands must give penance. Isn't that not a fair trade? Isn't her life worth so much more?"

Shadow was silent. Maria's life meant everything to him.

Shadow gained a thought then. "Fine, you win..."

Black Doom responded in silence, uncertain of this victory.

"As long as Maria isn't harmed, I'll do whatever you want."

"Go then to the shrine and take up what rightfully belongs to you."

Shadow stood as best he could, clutching onto the girl as he slowly made his way across the platform. At the other end was the man-made contraption Black Doom had referred to as the 'Shrine.' The pulsing masses hovering above flourished with color that he had never noticed before. He looked back down and along the edge seven lights rainbowed the stone pillars they were attached to. He ascended the stairs and stood at the center of the cobbled structure, an area that appeared to be meant for one more jewel. An eighth Soul Key? Who cared! Right now he had to pick one and start up this makeshift plot of his. The apparition of his blood suddenly formed at his side as if summoned to explain.

"It is time, take up the seven and absorb them into your flesh. With their Aura you can be as a god. There will be no foe to oppose you. You body becomes so engorged with power that neither time nor space could lay not a finger to scratch you."

"Then why don't you use them?"

The alien chuckled but never responded.

Enough! The anthro tensed, clutching Maria to his chest. His father turned to him as if feeling some type of treason emanating from the other at his side. Shadow closed his eyes and let the energy spear into him, connecting to him, magnetized to him. The instant the seven merged that sudden burst of condensed energy he refocused to implode. In that split second of betrayal the fog lifted and suddenly both he and she lay upon the floor of the lab overlooking the caustic lake. Shadow bolted into action. Upon the far wall rested a first air box stocked with those necessities when dealing with Archy and his environment. He rushed to this, shattering the lock and door, causing the contents to clatter to the floor. He swiped up a pair of Breathers and a single syringe and vile glowing with a magenta liquid. He set the first breather onto her lips, allowing her lungs to forcibly breath crisp and clean oxygen and sucking out the contamination inside of her with each exhale. He watched her breast suddenly rise as the device activated. Next he filled the needle with 100cc of Cruorpurgo before gently pricking her jugular and injecting the serum into her veins. She breathed heavily for what seemed like eternity till reality split open.

A roar shook the entire structure. Shadow fitted his own breather and for a couple of seconds the world spun and his mind was sent into euphoria as his own lungs were made to suddenly expand and contract painfully. He shook himself to clear the fog and forced his sight to revert back into the chamber lingering far below. Archy had flung himself back into a tizzy. At first the hedgehog couldn't tell exactly what he was doing, but eventually a couple of black wisps flickering on the edge of existence came to sight. Something told him that was not his father. As if on cue a sudden surge of dark energy burst into the room. Shadow spun to face the vision of Black Doom hovering over the girl.

Shadow lunged at the figure screaming, "you will not take her again!"

The Lord of Shadows let the crazed beast come for him. He caught the struggling anthro's head in a single clawed appendage, holding him suspended while Shadow's own nails dug into his wrist.

"You both surprise and disappoint me. Your resilience is superb but your lack of discipline has lead me to this extreme. I have no other option. It is time to leave, my son. We shall desert this place and return to the Lumorean System. From there I can more easily shape you to my benefit. On my home world of Nemeceise you will become who you are truly meant to be."

"I am exactly who I want to be."

That muffled hiss was not enough to send a shiver down his demonic ancestor's spine. Rather, it was the stunning reverberation of raw chaos emanating from the diminutive anthro's body. Black Doom hollered as the orange-hued vapors shot like an explosion, searing intangible flesh. Such unbridled energy. That was impossible!

Before those feral tendrils could further tare his essence apart Black Doom released his prey and disintegrated from sight. But that energy, something was not right. Even while safely seated in the Aether still the chaos warped through reality and bit, clawed and burned.

Shadow didn't know what was happening. All he knew at that moment before was the culmination of emotion reaching a fever peak. Sadness and sorrow, anger and rage, fear and vexation. He would never let his father win. Never in a million years. Never! He had to try something, anything. That release felt like ecstasy, a release of everything as though welcoming death. It tore out one's soul with enough force to make the body fall numb. In those last moment there was only blurs and sound. Shattered glass and twisted metal. A primordial roar and advancing footfalls. But where was Maria? He couldn't find Maria.

Every inch of his body was numb. Even so he could feel the twinge of throbbing pain writhing just below muscle. When Shadow finally opened his eyes the world was opaqued in a greenish hue, sliced and slurred. The figure moaned, an ungloved paw reached forward and was met with resistance. Blackened claws scraped down pressurized glass. Heavy irises rolled around in the back of their sockets, mind sluggish. Something white walked into view, tall and blurred in the murky plasma. He wanted to speak, to get the visitor's attention, but was sane enough to know any effort was fruitless at the moment. This time he forced both paws up upon the capsule, trying to make as vigorous a movement as possible to make the individual look at him.

Then it turned, revealing a haggard face obscured by ivory whiskers. Gerald! His lips were moving but the experiment could not hear. No, sound was just delayed. A few seconds later a voice came statically from a speaker above the life form's head.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see that you are alright, Shadow."

This took the anthro aback, speechless even more so.

"I am so sorry for all of this. I didn't mean to cause you so much harm, nor Maria. I never," he sighed.

Ever so slowly, Shadow parted his lips. The breather clamped onto his muzzle had a microphone in it. He only hoped it was activated as were the speakers above.

"Please," the ebony furred hedgehog exhaled. "I only want to know..."

"Maria is fine," the Professor finished for him. "She is in the Medical Ward now. Charles is watching over her."

At the mention of the wanna-be soldier Shadow rolled his eyes as best he could. Relief washed over him like a moon-high tide upon knowing the woman he cared for most was safe.

"I'm sure when she gets enough strength back to walk she'll attempt to come and see you. No worries. But," the aging man paused again. "I need to have this moment with you, alone."

His tone had became depressive, drawn as if attempting to catch the right words floating at the tip of his tongue.

"It is time you heard the truth. You could have probably figured it out for yourself. You are vastly intelligent, far more so than I have thus far given you credit. But, here it is, straight from my own lips:

"I was commissioned twenty years ago, maybe more so. I can't remember now. Anyways, it was obviously through the government of South Island, with I think a little prodding from G.U.N. that I, along with those under me, were to invent a weapon. A living weapon. One that would be indestructible by neither physical nor metaphysical means. Not by a bullet, nor the steady flow of time as it inches forward, millisecond by millisecond."

Shadow quietly listened, his creator's words slurred by the ambient speaker above.

"It was a complete turn around for us. We were at first merely to use this facility to research biomechanics. The way Mobius flows and the complex life of bacteria, enzymes, and viruses. I was perplexed and at a loss for how to begin. I had an idea eventually to speak with an old friend of mine. Eevonno. He gave me the Darwin and I first made Archy. When he did not reach expectations I had to forget him. I moved on, and created you.

"That is what you are, Shadow, a living weapon. But when I created you something was wrong. You would not awaken for anything. No method or madness could get the Darwin to register your bio-signatures. That was when Black Doom came, right at the moment when I was contemplating on discarding you as well. He said he had been watching me and was willing to 'help.' You were apparently missing a Soul and he conveniently had one. That was what was needed to get you to awaken. Then he brought up the prospect of immortality. We made a pact and in return for his ageless blood I would scour Mobius and find the seven Keys of legend. I was a fool. I had no concept at first as to just how the Alien Monarch was to use them. Till in my spare time I learned further of their origins and just how their powers worked."

Gerald's face twisted for a moment. "You have Doom's blood. You could use them. So I set up that experiment to test my theory. I knew somehow that he would involve himself. You were able to at first absorb the goodness locked away within the Seven. But, somehow his servants forced out the evil. You see, those jewels hold inside them both darkness and light. Just like you.

"You may be a living weapon but there is one thing I gave you that sets you apart. Freedom. I thought that maybe it wasn't such a smart idea, after witnessing how near instantly you bonded to my granddaughter." The aging scientist drew in yet another deep breath as if draining any remaining malice towards the situation.

"I have accepted that you and she love one another. And, after seeing how you fought for her even after I, her own flesh and blood, forsook her, I am glad. I consent defeat to you, Shadow. She is yours."

The experiment floating in the capsule was utterly at a loss for words. His own creator, like a surrogate father, was allowing him to have Maria? For how many years had he and she been forced to evade Gerald's eyes? How much smite had been tossed their way from this same man's lips? Shadow knew, as anyone would, that this would not be an easy adjustment.

"Just, promise me one thing," Gerald's haggard words brought the anthro out of thought. "Promise me that you will keep her safe. There are cruel people in this world, people who will exploit her for her heart, and her limitations. As long as she is protected I can be happy."

"She is much stronger than you give her credit for." For some reason those words had dribbled slowly out without clear thought. They were true though. Thinking back to when all this began, how much hardship he had unintentionally placed her through, he knew it to be true. Even so, the encapsulated creature nodded as vigorously as his confinement would allow. "I love her with my very being. So I can promise you that as long as my Soul continues on I will keep her safe."

And though Shadow could not see, the Professor smiled, sighing for a final time. "I am glad." As he turned to walk out of the laboratory he made one last refining comment. "All seven of the Soul Keys were retrieved and Archy has been put to sleep for a short while. However, there was no sign of Black Doom when I and G.U.N. arrived."

"Maria," the young man softly began. "You can't seriously still want to be near him? After all he did to you? What about to those Guardians? Those are people who are supposed to be protecting us and he just tried to murder them on sight. What do you think South Island is going to do when they hear about this?"

Charles, now at the age of twenty-three, stood at the bedside of the girl he loved but who did not love him. He was dressed per usual, a loose off-white muscle shirt stained with sweat and grease with faded khakis. His disciplined, angular face bore down at her with duel-hued eyes of aqua and topaz, a soft fading of fuzz prickling his chin and crown. Even so, one could tell just how much of his spare time was taken up by G.U.N. Ever since Maria's denial his life was practically take over by the militaristic agency. He had seen things that his comrades had only just witnessed. He knew just how dangerous the Ultimate Life Form had become. Maria may not love him, but there was no way in Hell he would let her be taken in by an experimental animal.

Maria however, thought otherwise. She lay on a cot in the medical ward, pale, Venus-like form concealed only by a gown and thin cotton sheets. Her fatigued gaze was not even turned to her caretaker, but rather off to the side and warped in thought. Her arms lay crossed over her chest, an IV protruding grotesquely from the crook of her right. Her honey-dew hair was slightly in disarray, but that was the least of her worries at the moment.

"I don't care. I trust him. He harmed those people against his will, he harmed me against his will. But he fought back, he won." she answered softly as the brush of a butterfly's wing.

"The President won't see it like that. All they'll see is an 'illegal' creature running amuck with no restraint, with no ability to restrain. They'll come here, they'll shut this place down. They'll probably... Ugh! I'll never understand you!" Charles was becoming inpatient, his engraved self-control wavering.

As he turned to leave the woman's gaze finally snapped to him, her face twisted in both anguish and fear. "I know you know where he is. Don't you dare do anything to him, Charlie!"

The one being spoken to halted his retreat, face swiveled in her direction with an obscure mix of astonishment. But, he never responded.

The blackness of 'night' had settled into the ARK like an ever-faithful friend. A lone figure like a wolf wandered the depressive corridors with uncertain intent. He knew where he was going but didn't know full well why. This area was off limits. That only meant to certain 'civilians.' In a way he was no longer a civilian. Soon he could complete his training and become a full-fledged Guardian. Until then he was content with his slightly elevated status.

He halted at a door displaying menacing symbols in both ARK-Code and Common. All reading 'No Access Beyond This Point.' He spat to himself, those warning meaning nothing. A honed, trembling hand reach for a mechanical key-pad soldered into the steel-plate's right side. The man typed in his Universal Access Code, forcing a soundless reverberation from the heavy slab as it clanked to life and swung ever grudgingly inwards. He stepped into the shadows illuminated here in their with eyes of multiple sizes and shades. Beady beams of red and yellow speckled the expanse like feral stars. An off-blue monitor and limy-green cylinder about the height of a full grown man shaded hanging pipes and tubes dangling from the endless ceiling. From all around the sounds of lively machinery sent a chill down his spine. The ceaseless buzzing and tireless humming, full with unliving breath.

The visitor came into view of the synthetic plasma, staring intently at the motionless thing hovering peacefully among carbonic bubbles and life-lines suckered to its fur. A cumbersome mask equipped with a puckered oxygen tube had been fitted to its muzzle. So, he was still alive. A bitter frown cut across Charles' chin. He glanced over to the supercomputer that kept the creature alive while in this pathetic state. The smell of ersatz blood was thickest here. It was time to decide.

He walked up to the Darwin and gingerly poked the screen with a gnarled fingernail. Its backlight shown brighter than before, nearly blinding the young adult. It took a couple of seconds to get used to, eyes squinting at the flickering stylus poised at the center of the screen, above it was printed the word 'Passcode.' Too easy, anyone who knew Gerald well enough knew the passcode he always chose.

Charles silently tapped in the letters: M-A-R-I-A.

Nothing happened, rather the screen went back to its default. That wasn't the passcode?

"What do you want?" A gargled, throaty voice snapped the man back to reality.

Charles swung his face to the life form within the uplifted cylinder. Faded irises of scarlet punctured straight through the glass. The intruder didn't answer, instead his expression screwed up in restrained temper.

"What's wrong, Charlie? The Darwin won't let you in? Surprise, it runs on two separate unicodes that connect the only three in existence as one. So, unless you know Professor Eevonno Tokugawa personally, I don't think you're going to get any farther," Shadow remarked.

"Damn you," Charles cussed.

"Damn yourself."

"Just you wait, android. Your time will come. G.U.N.'s not going to put up with much more of you and your kind."

"Was that a threat?" Shadow hissed.

Charles straighted himself to his full height as if attempting to seem menacing. "What do you think?"

Then all was placed back into its uneasy quite as the invader left the chamber, silent safe the foot-fall of his heavy boots.

The next 'morning' the hedgehog was awakened by something far less minacious. He could sense it even before he opened his eyes. Warm hands and a pleading voice guided him out of the eternal pit of slumber.

"Please, Shadow. Please wake up..."

She sounded so heartbroken.

The one being summoned lifted his heavy eye-lids to gaze upon the blurred image of a woman to rival an angel in both beauty and soul. Her face once overcast with sorrow brightened considerably upon seeing him awaken.

"You're alive..." she breathed.

He drifted forwards, curling his paws to the glass as if attempting to hold her hands placed there, his forehead against hers. So close yet so far away.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Maria all of a sudden frowned, eyes downcast.

"What's wrong?" he asked in deepest concern.

"It's just... I wish..." Her voice suddenly became so hushed that the microphone outside of the tank had a hard time deciphering her words. "I wish there was some way we could leave this place."

Shadow didn't believe at first what his ears had caught. For the longest time that wish had been so simplistic yet ungraspable. This was not the first time Maria had longed to leave the ARK. This was the first time, however, that he had felt her truly yearn for freedom from this place. He knew something was desperately wrong. Did it have something to do with G.U.N.? With Charles? What about Doom and his servants who she had recently discovered existed? He didn't know, and didn't feel the time was right to prod.

"We could always try," Shadow responded as quietly as possible. If anyone overheard this he didn't want to contemplate the consequences.

Her eyes shimmered for a moment, locking with his. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, if that's what you want, then yes. It won't hurt to try. It shouldn't be too hard to accomplish either. We just have to make a plan. Are you really willing to go through with this?"

Maria nodded confidently. "More than anything."

And so it was settled. As soon as Shadow regained the strength he had drained both he and she began to plan. They would have to use one of the escape pods, rig it to go off without there being an emergency and in such a way as to not draw attention to the two piloting it. They would need money, that would be the biggest issue. Where to land was already decided. The outskirts of Knothole, the countryside that was near entirely vacant except for farmers. As far as Maria's illness, which was another complication, it needed to be kept in check as closely as possible. Granted, the therapy and medicine were working but that was the point. She would have to abandon the therapy almost completely -all but what Shadow could duplicate. As far as her medication, they could take a large batch with them. Shadow knew the ingredients that went into said concoction. Problem was finding a facility with the means to make it.

Through all of this it seemed that Shadow was the only one who feared the jump. His partner was ecstatic. They planned it for July twenty-seventh, that was the day before the ARK's scheduled lockdown in order to run diagnostic checks on all of its functions, making sure everything was up to par. The day before almost all security protocol would be disabled and Shadow could more easily access the space colony's Mainframe in order to hack and tweak what needed to be so. While he was doing this, Maria would gather everything they would need and meet him at capsule 123. That was their number, 123. That was how many months Maria had been confined to the artificial planet. And hopefully, if all went as planned, those would be the last.

-**END**-

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